Motivation
by atlas aire
Summary: X-23/Pietro, Jonda, Romy, & a few others All anybody needs is just a little motivation.
1. Chapter 1

**M o t i v a t i o n**

Chapter 1

The first time he saw her, there was a fight going on. Not the usual X-men vs Brotherhood fights. But an epic fight nonetheless. It was just a big food fight, or a mosh pit. Maybe a mix of both. And both a member of the Brotherhood and X-Men were stuck in the middle of it.

Usually, Pietro would just zip in and zip out, effectively saving both members without anybody noticing but considering the fact that it was Toad and Kitty... well it honestly wouldn't hurt to take a while longer to save them. Or even let the pair figure it out for themselves. Kitty could walk through things and Toad was a mini Superman when his legs were concerned. So Pietro decided to stay on the top of the stairs and watch the action unfold while he ate. And that's when he saw her.

Laura or some shit or another.

She was sitting a few steps below him, simply observing. From the stories he got from Lance, Pietro was sure she wasn't watching because of some sick amusement, unlike him. Maybe she was just observing for the sake of observing. But that wouldn't explain the head tilt and the slightly bemused expression on her face. Maybe she didn't know what to do?

Pietro took his tray of food and slid down next to her. Laura made no obvious sign of acknowledgment but she did tilt her head slightly towards him. And that tiny frown on her face grew just a tinge deeper.

Pietro wondered if she had been around Rogue. Laura had the Gothic make up and wardrobe but in his honest opinion, it was a bit more tasteful, if a bit risqué on Laura. The fishnet stockings and combat boots made her legs longer and the rumors about her being Wolverine's clone were true, Laura shouldn't be growing any older or taller.

He liked the black lipstick on her. It was protected with some lip gloss, he was sure and they just made her lips fuller. And the minimal eye makeup did wonders. His sister was the only female reference he had for natural dark hair, if he ignored the red added on and he knew that Laura's hair was a bit unhealthy. It had this shine that made Pietro want to reach out and touch but it died as it reached the ends.

But it was her eyes that made Pietro admire her. This beautiful golden brown that no matter what angle she had her head tilted at, they would shine. Those beautiful golden brown eyes were looking at him right now. It was eerie how emotionless those eyes were.

"You're staring," she told him. A soft voice, but firm. Pietro smiled.

"And?"

"It's bothering me. Stop."

"Well I don't think it's really botherin' you."

Laura narrowed her eyes at him, "It is."

Pietro leaned a little bit closer to her.

"No, if it were, you'd be showing it."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want," Pietro echoed, considering the question, "dunno. You?"

Her frown turned to a scowl in response. She didn't move though, and Pietro counted that as a plus.

"You're..." she searched for the word, "bored?"

"No," he replied, gesturing to the escalating commotion down below, "I'm very entertained. You want some?"

Pietro offered some fries. Laura crinkled her nose and shook her head. Pietro shrugged and continued eating, turning his attention to food fight. Kitty was out of the line of fire but Toad was still stuck. And now Lance and Rogue were caught in the middle. Pietro let an amused grin slip onto his face.

"You're enjoying this," Laura observed.

"You're not?"

Her brows twitched in thought.

"A little bit, yes."

"You live with them," Pietro said, changing the subject, "what's it like?"

"Living with the X-Men?" Pietro nodded.

"Different, I suppose."

"How so?"

"There are rules," Laura answered, "but they don't feel confining."

"Huh." Pietro wasn't expecting that for an answer. The fight seemed to be winding down and Pietro had to collect his friends before the police did. He could see the mall cops rounding some up and then actual cops were on their way. He stood up and left his hand out to Laura. She stared at it for a moment then took it and let Pietro pull her up.

"Do you like it there?" he asked as the two headed down. Lance was heading towards Kitty and Rogue was being handled by Wanda. None of them looked too pleased.

"No."

Pietro wasn't expecting that either, "you don't?"

"The rules may not be confining," she explained, "but the way they handle me is."

Pietro let out a hum in amusement. He was leading them to Wanda and Rogue.

"Well, if you need a place to breathe, just look us up."

"I'll take you up on that offer."

Pietro waved goodbye as he pulled his sister towards the exit.

"Sure you will."

**OoOoO**

Pietro was in the kitchen when the sound of someone knocking on door reached him.

"Can someone get that?"

He let out an irritated sigh when the knocking continued.

He zipped over to the door and was about tell whoever it was to just go home when his eyes landed on golden brown eyes. As much of a pleasant surprise this was, he still had something on the stove. He pulled her in and closed the door and headed for the kitchen. He heard her soft footsteps following him.

"Lauren, right?"

"Laura. I'm here to pick up Kitty."

"I figured," he replied as he took the wooden spoon to stir the food in the pot. The meat was sticking together again.

"I can wait," she added, "I think they're busy."

Pietro smirked while he put a bit more seasoning in the soup.

"I bet."

Pietro stirred the pot a bit then put the lid on and checked the oven. The cake wasn't finished, but it was getting there. Just a few more minutes. He turned the stove temperature down and turned to find that Laura was staring at him. He didn't have anything else to do while the food was cooking and he knew that Laura would be here for a while.

Her eyes were staring blankly at him and it was unnerving him a bit. There was something about this girl that both put him on edge and turned him on.

"So..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"What are you making?"

"Just soup, he said as headed towards her to escape the kitchen, "A little beef, a little chicken, a lot of spice. And a cake."

"Special occasion?"

"yeah. Lance's birthday."

She didn't ask any questions as they entered the living room. Pietro sat on the couch and turned on the tv then made a gesture for Laura to sit next to him. With a slightly exasperated look, Laura sat down next to him. Pietro flipped through the channels until he settled for a daytime talk show. He saw from the corner of his eye the slight look of disgust before it settled into another blank face. Pietro held in a laugh, getting more comfortable.

"You don't mind waiting for a while longer after Kitty gets out, do you?"

Laura looked at him, contemplating the answer then shook her head.

"Good, 'cause this kinda means a lot for Lance. First birthday where we're all together. And you know, not trying to kill each other."

Laura didn't say anything but the look on her face spoke of understanding.

"So you just joined the X-Men?"

"No. I was here for a few months," Laura said, "I just didn't go outside regularly."

"Hmm.. why didn't you go out?"

Laura used silence as her answer.

"Okay, don't tell me. But I did hear that you were like some weapon for the government."

"Not the government," Laura corrected, "they weren't created for the people."

"Are you really a clone of Wolverine?"

"Are you really Magneto's son?"

"Yeah."

"Then yes, I am a clone."

"Is it weird? Knowing you're a clone?"

"Is it suppose to feel weird?"

"Dunno. That's why I'm asking you."

"Then I can't give you an accurate response to that question."

"Fair enough," Pietro laughed, "do you consider Wolverine your dad?"

"Do you consider Magneto your dad?" She shot back.

"He's my father, yeah. But he's not my dad."

"Is there a difference?" Laura asked, honestly confused.

"In my mind, yeah."

"Explain."

"Well," he started, "a father is the genetic part. He can also be the financial part. But a dad feels like both of those with the whole emotional thing added on."

"I... don't understand."

"That's because Pietro can't explain things right," came Wanda. Both teens looked up over at the Scarlet Witch, nearly speechless.

"Damn, Wanda," Pietro muttered, "the hell you goin' dressed like that?"

Wanda shrugged, "Rogue asked me to go shopping with her today."

"Dressed like that?"

"Yes," Wanda said, narrowing her eyes, "what's the problem?"

"No problem."

She was wearing a mini skirt, that was one. The fishnet stockings was two. And the halter top was three. But Pietro smiled at his sister, trying not to go on a "men are going to look at you like a piece of meat" rant like he usually did.

"Just wear a coat," Pietro said, "it might be windy."

Wanda rolled her eyes, "I never leave home without it."

She breezed past him and headed out.

"I'll be back in time for Lance's party."

And then she was gone.

Laura looked at Pietro in slight amusement. Pietro stood up and headed for the kitchen, suddenly remembering that he did have something that he did have something to do. He hoped that nothing was burned or overcooked.

Entering the kitchen, Pietro checked the cake first. It was safe. He pulled out the cake and set it on the counter then set work to the soup. A bit overcooked, but still edible. He turned off the stove and went for the fridge, pulling out other things he had made.

"You're gonna be my taste tester, mini-Wolverine."

"Don't have enough faith in your culinary skills, Pietro?"

"No," he shot back, taken off guard by the barb, "I just don't think they appreciate good cuisine. I need you as my ego booster."

He pulled out the salads as Laura let out a little smile of amusement.

"Don't stand there, sunshine, I need help getting this stuff out."

Laura looked at Pietro then at the fridge.

"Pull out everything?"

"Everything."

Soon enough, all of the food for tonight was brought out and Pietro was bringing some plates and eating utensils.

"The first thing you're gonna try is this," he said taking a ladle out and scooping some soup from the pot.

"What is it?"

"Ciorbă."

"Soup?"

Pietro grinned, "Yeah, I found the recipe in one of my father's books. I wanted to try it out. Now taste."

Laura took a spoonful of the stuff and tasted. A second later, her face twisted a bit, but not in distaste. She set the bowl out and chewed on the meat.

"Is it bad?" he asked, honestly worried about the taste.

"No, I was just not expecting it to taste sour. Are the meat pieces suppose to be this big?"

"Yeah, I don't know about the meat... the book didn't have any instructions on the size, but it's suppose to be sour. Do you like it?"

Laura didn't respond immediately. But then she nodded. And Pietro grinned.

"Now I have a few other things I want you to try..."

* * *

**A/N:** I had a boyfriend (he's my bud now) who's mother is Romanian. According to the info about Pietro and Wanda's POB, it was a part of Romania, so I'm assuming that they're getting some parts of their culture from Romania. I don't know anybody else who can give me information on the language (he doesn't know how to speak fluently and his mother is reluctant to tell me anything), but other things, I can pick up. So um, if y'all have any info, hit me up!

Review, ppl. They help me grow!


	2. Chapter 2

**M o t i v a t i o n**

Chapter 2

Cretan wine was possibly the first wines that took Pietro forever to find. Not because it was rare, but because there were people out there that were bigger assholes than him and love to swap the wine with Kool-Aid. The wine was known to be sweet, but Pietro knew his Kool-Aid. He had managed to get four bottles of the stuff so he could use it in the food and save one bottle for himself. It wouldn't get him drunk, but it did taste good.

He wondered if Laura ever drank. He knew that because of her metabolism, it would be hard for her to get drunk, but he honestly wondered if she ever had the urge to test her powers like that. Still, he kept those thoughts to himself and passed her a glass, explaining that this was what he used for some of the deserts and that it was also an option for one of the drinks.

She was going for the natural makeup route, so there wasn't a big stain of purple or black on the wine glass. But when Laura licked her lips, Pietro found that the wine stained her lips. Pietro nearly bit his lip when Laura looked up at him, eyes wide with a hint of a grin, obviously pleased with the flavor of the wine and he had to look away, pulling up a smirk to hide any sign of discomfort and attraction and he told her to try the fried rice.

"It's spicy," she noted, before taking another bite into it.

"Yeah, the guys over here are a big fan of anything spicy," Pietro said with a smile, "though I guess Fred and Toad are big fans of food in general."

She continued to eat from the small bowl and Pietro smiled; apparently, she was a fan of the spicy foods as well.

"We're gonna eat soon," he told her, "so it's best to finish up and help me set the table."

Laura nodded, and continued to eat as Pietro started setting the table. There was enough food to feed a village, but the Brotherhood men (and Wanda) were big eaters. Though it was mostly a consequence of their powers than anything else. Pietro had to eat to keep his power going, as well as Toad. Fred was well known for being a big eater, though to be honest, Pietro didn't know if it was due to his powers, or if he really just loved food. Lance worked out – a lot – so he had to eat so his body could properly work without fail. Nobody knew about Wanda. If she ate because her powers exhausted her, if she ate because she loved food, if she ate because of her metabolism... honestly, not that many people knew. The secret to her figure was also a mystery as well.

The table was set and Pietro set out for working on the decorations. The guys were going to come out and hide the presents in one of the cabinets while Kitty continued to keep Lance distracted and Wanda was suppose to use her powers to set up the big surprise: the pool in the backyard. They were only lucky that it was such a warm January and that the guy who gave them the pool was allowing them to use it temporarily.

Were it anybody else, Pietro wouldn't have put in half the effort he was putting into this. But Wanda convinced him that this... all of this was for the whole Brotherhood. They were the definition of dysfunctional, but they were in fact, a family. And by celebrating Lance's birthday, they were finding a way to get together and bond. Pietro relented, simply because he didn't know how long Wanda was going to be like this. Mastermind's work wore off a while after Apocalypse happened; the guy both hated and feared Magneto and that had to have turned him into some type of passive-aggressive ass. Magneto had disappeared though, before she remembered and the biggest surprise was shown in the girl's patience. She vowed that she wasn't going to attack Magneto like she did in the past, she was going to wait. And when that day came, she also wanted Pietro to be there by her side.

It was almost three, Pietro noticed. He hoped that Wanda would come home soon.

And as if on cue, Pietro heard the door open and he heard Wanda's voice echo to the kitchen.

"...it should be okay, Rogue. I just don't know about those two..."

Apparently, Rogue was staying over for Lance's party. He glanced over at the large amount of food. It shouldn't be that much of a problem, they'll have the cake inside and he'll get help to bring the rest outside. Pietro looked over at Laura, who was leaning against the counter and staring out the window, probably lost in her thoughts. The sun's light seemed to halo around her and Pietro found himself smiling. Her dark hair looked brown in this light.

"Pietro."

He turned to address his sister, then froze, looking at the two men standing behind her. She seemed to follow his gaze and she turned her head to look at the guys as well. Pyro and Gambit.

"Yeah... they just followed us," she explained, "and Rogue wasn't willing to knock them out."

"Oh, I was willin'," Rogue corrected, "but the Professor would have lectured me for the longest time. I'd need a justified reason to do that."

"You could have lied," Pietro suggested, glaring at the Cajun when he smiled at him.

"You can't really lie to a telepath," came Laura from behind Pietro, "especially one that is considered the strongest one in the world."

Pietro looked at her, irritated, and she simply shrugged.

"We only hopin' to spend some quality time wit' you guys," came the Cajun's easy drawl, "y'know, let bygones be bygones."

"I don't think he's too forgivin', mate," Pyro said, frown on his face. Pietro drew his attention to the Australian then looked over at Gambit again. Irritation soon turned to anger; he wanted them gone. Not just away from his home, but away from this earth. He ground his teeth to prevent him from running at the guys and knew he was close to shaking. A hand on his shoulder drew his attention away from the former Acolytes.

"It might not be a good time to be fighting," Laura said, the expression understanding. Her hand dropped and Pietro took a calming breath. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, frown still on his face. She was right though; it wasn't a good time to be fighting.

"There's two fold out tables in that closet over there," he said, gesturing at the mention closest with his eyes still closed, "if you wanna stay here, you're gonna have to help me out."

**OoOoO**

Everything was set up and all they were doing was waiting for the birthday boy. Kitty had taken a shower in the downstairs bathroom and was now outside, chatting with Rogue and Wanda. The guys were currently in the living room watching an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Laura. Lance was upstairs taking a shower.

"I'm tellin' ya, this is what's gonna happen in the future," John exclaimed, eyes wide.

"That may be, but I honestly doubt that we'll be part of that future," Remy said, shaking his head. Pietro thought that this may have been a common conversation among the friends.

"We will be!"

"You believe that, _homme,_" Remy relented, rolling his eyes.

John crossed his arms and pouted.

"It's true."

Laura tilted her head up and shifted her attention at the ceiling. She turned to find Pietro staring at her, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"He's about to come down," she informed the men.

"Well then," Pietro said, popping up, "let's get the girls inside so we can celebrate Rocky's birthday."

Laura went to get the girls and Fred pulled out the radio. Pietro turned off the tv and opted to stay in the living room to wait to retrieve Lance while the rest of the guys surveyed the rest of the area, making sure nothing looked gross or off. Lance came down, with that 'just-got-laid' smile on his face. Pietro locked eyes with his friend and grinned, both sharing a proud grin.

"Well, birthday boy, let's go in there." Pietro nodded his head to the dining room.

**OoOoO**

"Thanks guys," Lance said, a smile of genuine gratitude on his face, "I think this is just about the best birthday I ever celebrated."

He was wearing a new vest, thanks to Kitty and was holding his new helmet, which were gifts from Toad and Fred. Gambit offered to help with turn ups on his Jeep and Pyro offered to help clean it up, which after a moment of suspicion, Lance agreed. Aside from the whole meal, Pietro also promised not to listen in on his and Kitty's phone calls, a gift that made both Lance and Kitty happy. Wanda had gotten him a pack of electric cigarettes, she knew that he was trying to quit. It had been Gambit's suggestion; his brother had the electric cigs and they honestly worked wonders.

"Can we go out and eat now," came Toad, "as much as I love this touching moment, I really love food. In my stomach. Like now."

Wanda rolled her eyes at Toad but did lead the way out.

"Oh wow," Lance breathed, eyes landing on the table full of food.

"Oh damn," he whispered, when he caught sight of the pool.

Toad, entirely focused on that food, started leaping for it. He was intercepted by a hexbolt and was sent sailing into the side of the house.

"Don't be rude," she chided, giving him a full on glare.

"Oh snookums, I was gonna get some for you too."

Wanda rolled her eyes disgusted. She turned her gaze at Lance who was staring at a small bowl of pink stuff. He turned and looked at Kitty, who was surprised at the emotion bubbling at the surface, then he turned to look at Pietro, who for once, didn't have a cocky smirk on his face at the expression. He knew how much this meant to him and he wasn't going to be an ass about it this time.

"I hadn't had taramosalata in forever."

_Not since your father left_, Pietro silently agreed, _I know. _The others were taking plates and eating utensils, but none were even picking up food; they were all waiting for Lance to take the first bite. When he realized that, Lance immediately took a chip and dipped. And when Lance ate the chip, the festivities finally began.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for lack of accents. There there, I just have a serious problem with writing them. Don't ask why. I just do.

My bb Lance is Greek in the comics! Holy hell, man! I like to consider Lance and Pietro semi good friends, which is why he's doing all of this under the guise of his love of cooking (which will later come up again). That's why there are Greek dishes out there along with the Romanian ones. Lol me spending all this time talking about food. Obviously, I have a one track mind. Though I do have to say, I have tried Taramosalata. I can't even begin to describe how much I was weirded out when I first saw it. That shit was _pink_ and creamy and they expected me to _eat_ that. I'm sitting there like "is you crazy? I ain't eating that!" But seriously, that stuff is good. A lot of Greek food is good. My heart is with Southern, African (West & Central ftw), and French food. Okay now I'm done talking about food. Seriously. (Y'all need to try mousaka though. Best stuff ever) Do you guys have a favorite dish?


	3. Chapter 3

**M o t i v a t i o n**

Chapter 3

* * *

Laura wasn't going to lie, this was one hell of a birthday party. Some of the guys were in the pool, swimming. Wanda offered to let the girls use some of her swimsuits, and Laura found herself to be the only one saying no to the offer. Wanda could short Rogue's powers for a while, but the pair would have to be near each other at all times and she would have to take a break later on. From her spot on the small porch, she could see that Rogue was enjoying her time, even though she was still wary about touching someone. She jumped when Remy snuck up on her.

Laura chose to relax with Fred and Toad. All three of them were enjoying themselves well enough eating and talking about random things. She had to request Fred to be in between all three of them, and he agreed, as long as Laura remained closest to the rest of the crowd messing around in the pool. At first, Laura assumed it was simply for Toad, in case he managed to bypass Fred so he could bug Laura, but the more she thought of it, it seemed that it may not be the case.

"I get to go to Texas soon," Fred said, "I hated working there, but it's home." He shrugged and Laura smiled, not able to understand that statement, but to just to be polite. As nice as he seemed now, Laura had heard the story of when he kidnapped Jean. Sweet as he may be, he was still a potential threat. She glanced at the guys in the pool, playing and enjoying themselves. They all were. But she could play nice. And she would.

"I was in Texas once," Laura told the two, twirling her spoon around a small bowl of tzatziki. Pietro had told her that it was mainly used as a dip, but she liked it like this. He added mint to it. She really liked mint.

"Really? What part?"

"Around Marion," she told him, "I was heading to Louisiana for work."

It wasn't a lie; she did head there for work. But that was when she was with H.Y.D.R.A. A family of four, all adult. The oldest was a future owner of some big fortune. The order was to kill all four. Just in case.

"Really," came a voice from behind her, interested, "have you ever been to Caddo Lake?"

Laura looked at the man as he rubbed a towel against his hair. She almost forgot that Gambit – Remy – was from Louisiana. And she realized what an absurd thought that was.

"I have," she nodded, "I didn't stay for long though. And it was at night."

The youngest of that family had tried to run. He tripped and fell into the lake. The trigger scent laced on his body was lost in the tide.

But so was he.

"Yo, remember when we saw Big Foot," Toad said. Laura blinked, having forgotten about Toad.

"Please," Remy rolled his eyes, "Prolly ol' Sabertooth lurkin' through the trees."

The guys laughed, as Laura took a bit of the tzatziki. She would have to talk to Pietro about getting regular supplies of this. She took another spoonful, looking over the Cajun's shoulder at the rest of the people coming out. John had a strange expression on his face, while both Maximoff twins had matching grins on their faces. Lance and Kitty were lagging behind, peaceful grins on their faces. It was then that Laura felt a strong amount of jealousy for them.

Kitty had always been talking about Lance. How much she loved him, how much he loved her. What funny thing Lance did or said on a certain day. At first it was cute; she hadn't seen a person with that much bubbly energy since Kiden, and she honestly missed it. Then it was annoying; as much as she loved seeing the X-Girl smile and laugh, she wished she had other reasons for that happiness. After that, she stop caring; Kitty was happy. And having a happy Kitty was better than a depressed one.

This would be the first time she had actually saw the two together. And she saw that even if she didn't see the love, she did see the compassion, the attraction, and the warmth. And call her selfish, she wished that she could have that.

"Hey," came Pietro, taking a towel from a nearby chair, "do you guys want to bring this in or are you okay outside?"

"It's gettin' dark, yo," Toad answered, "don't want no creepers comin' from the woods."

Laura smiled and stood up. She had one hand holding her little bowl of tzatiziki, with the other pushing stray strands out of her face.

"Need me to bring anything in?"

Pietro looked at her and shook his head. He gave her a smirk and zipped off. A gust of wind flew by her and she gave a surprised look at the twin, not expecting him to run off like that. Wanda rolled her eyes, obviously accustomed to Pietro's behavior.

"Showoff."

When he came back, Laura realized that the tables have been cleared off. A glance inside would tell her that all food and drinks were in the kitchen. Everyone started filing in, leaving Pietro and Laura outside alone. She was irritated with herself at showing such surprise at Pietro's powers, she had met other speedsters, but she wasn't going to lie, none of them had anything on Pietro.

She looked Pietro in the face, and realized that he was quite proud at her reaction. His hair and skin must have dried off while he was running because she didn't see a drop on him. And for quite a lanky man, Pietro had muscles on him. She blinked, looking down when she realized that she had to an extent been checking him out. She saw no shame in it (not like she would act on it), but she had been told a number of times that her staring at a person was quite... unnerving to say the least.

She frowned, did she look as threatening as she was?

The sound of movement brought her attention back to the person in front of her. Her focus. She blinked, irritated with herself at being so out of it lately before holding her bowl up at him. Pietro looked down at the bowl, wondering what exactly she wanted. Times like this, Laura wished for Jean's powers, communicating was much easier and efficient.

"Do you have more? Tzatiziki, I mean."

Pietro looked up at her, his eyes a bit glazed over. Then he blinked, nodded and told her that he did. He let his hand move to the small of her back as he led her inside. Laura didn't need her great eyesight to know that it was Kitty who just just fazed through the wall. For such a great power like hers, she would expect her spy skills to be better. A glance at Pietro showed that he was thinking the same thing as well.

There was laughter on the other side before it abruptly stopped. Laura figured that Kitty told them what she saw and they found something funny about it, before they realized that the pair could hear them. She tilted her head in confusion. What was so strange about what happened outside?

**OoOoO**

Rogue and Remy was the first two to go. Kitty didn't want to leave so soon and Laura wasn't leaving until Kitty did. So Rogue volunteered to go and tell one of the adults that the two would be arriving late. Laura noticed with a small amount of amusement that Remy immediately trailed after.

So Kitty and Lance went back to his room to talk. Laura crinkled her nose in slight disgust. She didn't care about about what they did up there, but... she could hear them. Fred looked at her with a slight look of understanding.

Laura tried to distract herself by observing the others.

Wanda was being hit on by both Todd and John. She watched as Wanda backed further into the couch, trying not to use her powers to attack them. Laura wondered if she should go over and help her, or if this was all an act and they were just playing around. She really didn't know when it came to these types of social situations. Laura turned away, looking for something else to do. Wanda was strong, if she wanted the two to leave her alone, then she would do it without any assistance.

Her eyes wandered for a moment until she saw Pietro moving around in the kitchen. She glanced at Fred, who was relaxing while watching some Powerpuff Girls knock-off, then headed to the kitchen. Pietro was packing up some of the food when she arrived and he looked up at her with a grin when she arrived.

"Let me guess," he said, "the two lovebirds are upstairs 'talking', right?"

Laura blinked, then nodded. Pietro lead her to the table and sat her down.

"Then I guess that means that I'll be the one entertaining you for now."

Laura looked at Pietro, smiling at the obvious innuendo then gave a reply of her own.

"I really doubt that you're capable of entertaining me."

Pietro gave her something of a sultry look.

"Gonna have to change that then."

**OoOoO**

Kofta was really just big meatballs with eggs and curry mixed in it. It was a little to messy for Laura's tastes, but they were amazing. Laura wanted to say that it was simply that she liked this type of stuff so she could avoid complimenting the grinning man sitting beside her. But she knew for a fact that he was just that great of a cook, because she never tasted anything like this.

Pietro was watching her with some type of weird fascination. Usually, Laura would be bothered by the staring, but there was nothing too clinical about the way he looked at her. He simply just wanted to look at her. Laura was curious about why he wasn't eating. The man's metabolism made sure that he had to eat just as much as her to retain all of that energy. Laura took supplements along with her food to get enough of the proper stuff in her diet, curtsey of Xavier, but she was curious about Pietro. Did he have to take anything for his mutation?

Laura reached over to take a tissue but her hand was stopped by Pietro.

"What?"

"You're seriously not going to just wipe all of that sauce off, are you?"

"What? Shouldn't I?"

"That's really a waste," he replied, shaking his head. Laura frowned.

"What should I do then?"

"Lick the sauce off. Anything you don't get will be washed off later."

Laura looked at her fingers. Was he serious?

She threw caution to the wind and took his advice. She grinned; the taste of the sauce was the best part of the Kofta. Pietro gave out an amused laugh when she pulled her fingers away.

Pietro arched an eyebrow at her and Laura blinked, not knowing what he was trying to convey. He reached over and slid his thumb on the side of her mouth. The sauce was on his finger. Laura stared at it for a second before taking his thumb into her mouth.

Pietro's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened, shocked. Laura noted that he didn't pull away though. She flicked her tongue, tasting the semi spicy sauce on his thumb. Pietro closed his eyes and she could see his whole body tense in the sensation.

Laura pulled away, seeing Pietro shiver as he let his hand drop to his lap. She wondered if his fingers were sensitive. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his eyes were dilated. She recognized that reaction from her last profession. She bit her lip, wanting to ask if he was okay, but afraid of that he might expect more from her. She didn't have to make that choice though.

A crash was heard from the living room and Pietro turned his attention to the living room.

"Aww snookums, I knew you loved me!"

Then a loud thump followed by the sound of Wanda's disgusted snarl.

Both Laura and Pietro went out to observe. She could see from the other opening that Kitty and Lance came down to see the commotion as well. With a small amount of amusement, Laura noticed that Freddy was sleeping.

Wanda stomped past Lance and Kitty and up to her room. The sound of a door slamming was heard overhead by all. Laura flinched a bit at the sound. Kitty looked at Laura.

"I guess we should go, huh?"

**OoOoO**

Laura told Kitty everything as they were walking home. Kitty had stayed silent for a while before speaking.

"Uh, well. I don't know what to say," she admitted, "the thought of Pietro as a... ugh sexual being, is disturbing to me."

"Why," Laura asked, "he's aesthetically appealing, and he's a great cook..."

"So... you want him for more than sex?"

"No," she shook her head, mentally berating herself for letting herself fall for that one, Kitty was sure to be spreading this one around the mansion, "I don't know. I'm curious."

"Curious," Kitty repeated.

Laura nodded.

"I don't know what to say, really. You have my blessing, if you want to do anything with him, but I'm gonna warn you that he's not boyfriend material."

Laura nodded again, biting her tongue to keep from saying that she wasn't looking for a boyfriend.

"I don't want him sexually," Laura said, voice firm.

"Didn't say you did."

"You implyed it."

"Well whether you do, or don't, it's really up to you."

"I don't want him period," she told her. But now that the thought was planted in her head, she kind of did.

"Course you don't."

Laura frowned.

"I don't."

They were almost at the mansion now.

"Well, then you'll be okay with seeing him tomorrow, right. Mr. Logan will only let me see Lance if I'm with someone responsible."

"You saw him today," Laura pointed out.

"But it was Ororo who sent you to get me, right?"

Laura nodded.

"So please, just for tomorrow?"

Laura looked at Kitty before she sighed and gave her a nod.

"Take a shower before you see Logan," Laura advised, "otherwise you won't be going anywhere for a few months."

* * *

**A/N:** O hai new readers! Glad to have ya join me! And at the best part too!

NGL, writing from Laura's perspective is damn hard, that's why this chapter took forever to come out. I think that due to her upbringing and abuse (as pointed out in the comics, which is what I'm going to kinda base her character off of a bit. 'Cause I like the thought of her meeting Dare Devil and Captain America), that Laura has a few issues to deal with, but bringing them to the surface, without making things seem forced or too awkward _and_ still have some type of romance is a hell of a challenge. I just hope I did well for this chapter.

And yeah, my brother was at Caddo Lake. He claims he saw Big Foot. I keep telling him it was dad and his stupid fur coat (he thinks it's ~pimpin'~ when he wears it)... but noo. "_It's Big Foot!"_

P.S. I released a new story... _Strange Overtones_. I would totally appreciate it if you guys read it. _Please? _


	4. Chapter 4

**M o t i v a t i o n**

Chapter 4

* * *

The first thing Pietro noticed when he saw Kitty and Laura was that Laura's hair was shiny. Not in the greasy shiny way, but in the "hey, you washed your hair!" way. Her naturally dark locks did that weird thing where it curled towards her body at the end, and as he was trying to keep Laura entertained while Kitty spent her time with Lance, Pietro had the strongest urge to touch it. Pietro knew that his fingers would be cut off before even had the chance.

"We have leftovers, if you want some," Pietro told her, nodding his head towards the kitchen.

Laura gave him a polite smile and shook her head. Pietro suddenly thought of the party and their time in the kitchen and his finger curled in reaction. Laura noticed the movement and was about to say something before Pietro interrupted.

"Uh, Wanda will be gone for the whole day and I really don't know where Freddy 'n' Toad are so..."

"I'm stuck with you," she finished for him.

"Yeah."

They both stood in front of the stairs. Pietro thinking of something they both could do, Laura waiting. Then Pietro slumped, mind blank. He looked over at Laura and gave her a helpless smile. Laura blinked, then looked away, thinking of something they could do.

"TV?"

Pietro shook his head, "Wanda threw Toad at the dish last night."

"Threw him?"

"Yeah," he answered, "it was pretty amazing. She did it without her powers too."

"Huh."

"I know, right?"

There was another moment where the two were silent, thinking of other options. Pietro really wanted to just do her. Really, just so he could stop feeling awkward. He wasn't above hitting on or fucking an X-gal, but Laura seemed different. In his head, Laura was very much Wolverine's daughter. That thought alone was weird, but the thought of that short Canadian coming after him because he _hurt_ his 'little girl'... well that was just as terrifying as seeing Magneto mad. And he knew that Laura would be a relationship type person; all of those X-geeks were. He ran a hand through his hair and Pietro noted that Laura was following the movement.

"We can go on a walk," he blurted. Laura blinked, then nodded. A walk would do them good, he was getting a bit restless.

**OoOoO**

It was one of those good weather days where it was sunny and hot, but the wind cooled things. Pietro and Laura found themselves walking through a nearby park. It had less people than Pietro expected, but there was still enough people to make him a bit anxious. Laura seemed okay with walking with him through a park though; she looked relaxed, and she had that hint of a smile on her face. It kind of struck him then that she wasn't wearing the dark make up today. Just pink lip gloss and a little bit of eyeliner. He looked away when he realized how much attention he was giving her.

"So... you weren't always living in New York," Pietro asked, fishing for any type of new entertainment.

"I don't stay at a place for too long."

"Where were you before you came to Bayville?"

"Hell's Kitchen," she responded.

"The show?"

"No," that small smile grew a bit, "New York. Hell's Kitchen."

Pietro remembered that place, he and Wanda went there once. He didn't remember the why, but he did remember that Wanda nearly killed a guy who was trying to rob them. It was a gang of men and Wanda wanted to let go of some of her frustrations on them. But she didn't even get to the second guy when this guy in a red costume went over and did the job for her. Wanda was so close to getting that guy too, but he disappeared the second he looked away. Pietro wondered if Laura ever saw the guy too.

"How's Hell's Kitchen."

"Hot," came her dry response.

"So what did you when you were in Hell's Kitchen?"

Laura gave him a peculiar look before replying, "Work."

It didn't escape him that her voice was a bit more hard now and there was an edge to her gaze. Pietro decided to change the subject.

"You know multiple languages?" At her raised eyebrow he added, "I heard that Wolverine knew how to speak French and Japanese..."

"Over twenty languages," she answered, looking down at the ground as they walked.

"I use to know some Romanian," Pietro said, "Magneto use to speak it to me and Wanda. When we were five, that was pretty much the language we spoke."

Magneto didn't want them to go to school, so he just home taught them. After Wanda was sent to the asylum, Pietro stopped speaking period; he was afraid that Magneto would send them away too. Pietro frowned, Magneto _did _send him away. A tug at his hand drew Pietro out of his thoughts. There was a look of concern on Laura's face and Pietro looked down. That really was something he didn't want to think of.

"We should turn back," he muttered, taking a step back.

Laura didn't say anything, but she did grab his hand, stopping him from turning and running. Pietro jerked his hand away from her and gave her a grin.

"We can get ice-cream before we go," he said, his mind praying that she wouldn't push it.

Laura looked over her shoulder to a cart she must have been eying for some time.

"I've never had ice-cream before."

**OoOoO**

They chose to sit at a bench and eat. There was a pond directly in front of them, and the pair could see people trying to swim in it. Pietro looked away from the scene, feeling disgust. The water was so _dirty_.

"So what would you usually do, if you weren't here?" Pietro asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Every had their own routine before I came and they don't want to change to include me in it." Pietro caught the bitterness in her response.

"Not even Wolverine? Dude's like your dad."

"We had this conversation before," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah. 'Father, not dad.'"

The two sat there in a comfortable silence as Pietro waited for Laura to finish her ice-cream. They would have to go back soon, he thought as he drew his gaze out to the people in the pond. On the other side of the pond there was a small group of people. A big guy with a blond Mohawk, a little girl sitting on his shoulder, another, smaller guy perched on the bench grinning as an older girl stood talking to the...

"Hold up."

Pietro leaned forward and squinted. That was Freddy and Toad! He didn't know who the two ladies were, but those were definitely his boys. The little girl on Fred's shoulder couldn't be no older than six, and the older girl (who was now laying her hand on Fred's bulkier one) had to have been around Kitty's age. He glanced over at Laura, to see if she was watching this, and saw that she had a hint of a grin on her face.

Pietro watched the girl threw her head back in laughter and her hand reached up a little bit higher. What was going on here? Toad hopped off of the bench and reached up to take the girl, who didn't turn away in revulsion, surprisingly. She hugged Toad as he carried her away to give the couple some alone time.

He saw the girl lean in a little bit closer to Fred, and the big guy was obviously flustered, but not moving away. The girl grabbed both of Fred's hands and they pair just stood there a moment. He could see the girl's mouth moving but they were too far away for him to hear anything. Then the girl leaned up and kissed Fred on the cheek.

"I don't believe this," he muttered, leaning back.

The couple were walking over to Toad and the girl, hand in hand.

**OoOoO**

The only other girl he had been comfortable with having in his arms while he was going super-speed was his sister. He knew for a fact that his sister could take any type of damage his speed caused and that should she want to stop, she could make him stop. Laura was safe for him because she could heal from any damages. And that it took a lot to damage her in the first place. When he started running, her head had snapped back. Pietro feared that he had broken her neck, but she was just fine. And when he stopped at the boarding house, Laura didn't seem sick from the abrupt stop.

When they got in, Kitty and Lance were on the couch, watching TV. Pietro and Laura stood at the doorway for a moment, simply observing the pair. Lance had that look that only showed on his face when he was happy and relaxed. It was that lidded eye gaze and lazy smile that made Pietro a bit hesitant to go and bother them. That was a look he rarely if ever saw on his friend's face. He looked over at Laura and then grinned. He was hesitant, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to bother them.

"You guys look so cute," he sneered as he walked into the room. He could see from the corner of her eye that Laura was following.

"I can say the same for you," Kitty shot back, giving Laura strange look, "you know, if you weren't you."

"Ooo," Pietro smiled sitting on the arm of the couch, feet poking at Lance's thighs, "kitten's got claws."

"Now where were you guys all day," Lance asked, smiling at Pietro. There was no hint of annoyance showing in his eyes and Pietro was glad for that. Pietro looked over at Laura before scooting over on his seat before making a beckoning move to bring Laura to sit with them. To his surprise, she sat right next to him on the arm of the couch.

"Here and there," Pietro replied, trying to hide the surprise, but from the amused glint in his friend's eye told him that Lance caught it.

"Doing?" Kitty looked at Pietro expectantly.

"Don't worry about it," he smirked. Kitty rolled her eyes in response.

She stood up and stretched for a second. Pietro looked away; the last time he had checked her out while stretching, Lance nearly buried him under a mountain.

"I think we should go now," Kitty announced and everybody else stood up and headed for the door.

Laura and Pietro stood away from them while they had their moment. The only thing Pietro caught was that Kitty wouldn't be able to come tomorrow because of some trip. Pietro looked at Laura. She was staring right back at him. He smiled back; the girl's eyes were intense.

"Hey," he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her hair really _was_ soft.

"You can come here whenever you want," he told her, "anytime you want.

Laura locked eyes with Pietro and he didn't miss the slightly predatory look in her eye.

"I'll hold you to that."

* * *

**A/N: **Forgive me? I've been using ma's laptop 'cause the internet on my comp was being weird (later found out that it was an area type thing). Her laptop is all types of slow so I really didn't want to wait and upload the chapters, edit them, then wait again so the thing can publish. I'm not that patient, and that computer is abnormally slow. At least when I'm on

This chapter... ugh, I don't know. I like it, but then I don't. If that made any sense. I really don't want this to go to fast, because then it would be unrealistic, but I don't want this to drag. This is what I get for writing the beginning and the end, without a middle. The getting there, that's the problem. Oh and hey, that part with Toad & Blob & the girl, I'm actually thinking of writing a one-shot on that. You guys think I should?


	5. Chapter 5

**M o t i v a t i o n**

Chapter 5

* * *

Pietro was bored. Kitty had fixed the cable when she was here but they only had basic cable and there was nothing good on at night. He was the only one awake right now and even though he made a living out of fucking around his roommates, Wanda came home all types of pissed and if she woke up to her brother again, Pietro was pretty sure Wanda would kill him.

So Pietro decided to take a walk.

He really didn't expect to run into Laura. But there she was, sitting at the park on the same bench that the pair had sat on that very day, staring blankly at the pond. He debated over whether to go to her or not. She seemed to be deep in thought. He was about to turn away when her voice called out to him.

"It would be a bit pointless to walk all the way here just so you can walk back."

Pietro turned then started walking towards her.

"It's only pointless if you return empty handed," he replied. He sat down next to her and smiled at the sight of her slight smile.

"You make a good argument."

They both sat out there in silence, letting the wind blow around them. Pietro was out here because he was restless, but he could tell that there was something on her mind. Her body was too tense.

"So," Pietro asked, "what brings you to these parts?"

"I couldn't sleep," Laura said. She looked like she was about to say something else but then kept quiet. Pietro's curiosity turned to concern.

"Why can't you sleep?"

She looked over at Pietro and there was a familiar haunted look on her face. It was a look that Pietro saw on his sister's face at times.

"Nightmares?"

Her eyebrows widened in surprise, before she looked away. Pietro decided to put his arm around her shoulder; she leaned into him like he expected. When his sister had nightmares, the only thing she really wanted was to have contact and to have him quiet. As he watched Laura close her eyes with a sigh, he was glad to know that this girl was just the same. Pietro lightly sat his chin on top of her head and waited for her to calm down.

**OoOoO**

Pietro and Laura greeted his sister with coffee and breakfast. Wanda wasn't awake enough to care about the addition to comment on it. Laura hadn't spoke once since they came home and Pietro wasn't the type to push in these types of situations.

Wanda sat across from Laura drinking coffee while Laura quietly watched. Pietro was sitting on one of the counters, watching both women.

Wanda was still wearing the clothes she wore from yesterday and her short air was flat on one side. But her eyes looked peaceful and her body was relaxed. If it weren't his sister, Pietro would have said that Wanda was radiating positive energy this morning. Laura was slumped over on the table, resting her head on her hands. She closed her eyes and her face had tranquil quality to it.

Pietro sat there just staring; the sun was starting to rise and little bits of light were reaching the kitchen and shining in through the window, creating a halo over both girl's bodies. Distantly, he was aware of the chirping birds and the thumping of the guys upstairs waking up. Pietro smiled. It was nice start to a hopefully good day.

More thumping was heard upstairs, leading towards the stairs and Pietro knew that it was Freddy coming down. He didn't get the chance to bug him or Toad about the two ladies from yesterday, but today was a new day.

Fred lumbered in, obviously not fully awake yet and nodded his head towards Pietro in greeting. Pietro smiled back and gestured to the pot of coffee and a biggest plate on the other counter. Fred smiled and went for his breakfast and coffee. He gave Laura a glance and raised his eyebrows at Pietro in question; Pietro mirrored the action in challenge. Fred shook his head then slipped out to watch TV and eat.

Next down was Lance, who had a pack of smokes in his hand.

"Hey," he grunted as he set them down on the counter and poured himself some coffee.

"Hey," Pietro greeted back.

Wanda let out a hum of acknowledgment while Laura opened her eyes to observe Lance. Lance took his cup and went out to the backyard. Pietro could see the top of Lance's head through the window. Wanda stood up and put her plate and cup into the sink and stalked out of the kitchen, muttering about how she needed a shower before Toad woke up. Laura looked over at Pietro and tilted her head. He hopped off of the counter and walked over to Laura.

"Do have anywhere to go today?"

Laura shook her head. Pietro frowned; still not talking.

"Well, you can chill in my room for now," he said, shrugging. He hoped she read between the lines on that one. He could go days without sleep, she couldn't.

"Yeah," she spoke for the first time, "if you don't mind."

Pietro smiled and held out his hand for her.

"Not at all."

**OoOoO**

He had went to take a shower when Laura laid back on the bed. He loved that bed; even when he couldn't sleep, he'd still rest on that bed, it was that soft. The covers seemed to eat Laura. When he came back, dressed and refreshed, Laura was on her side, still awake. The look in her eyes was a bit unfocused and her lips were drawn in a thin line.

"Hey," he said softly, hand brushing stray strands away from her face. He pretended not to notice her flinch.

Laura looked at Pietro; her blank mask was starting to break.

"It's okay," he whispered, reminded of the first nights when Wanda use to huddle herself into the corner. His sister couldn't tell the difference between her memories and what was happening right then. Pietro was sure that this was sort of what was happening to Laura.

He climbed onto the bed and set his back against the headboard and pulled her to him. It kind of bothered him to see how easily she let him manipulate her body like that. Wanda made sure that Pietro didn't move until she wanted him to.

"Do you want to talk about it," he inquired.

"No," she muttered, "and I don't want you to talk about this."

"I won't." Pietro nodded.

He rubbed soothing circles on her back until he heard her breathing even out. Laura was asleep now but Pietro still didn't leave. He wondered what exactly gave someone so tough like this nightmares like that.

* * *

**A/N:** Hi new readers and lurkers! Welcome to the party!

Do you see the _luuuurrve _starting to bloom? Yeah, neither do I. Whatever, they'll get there. (Though in my mind, they're _**already**_ there and they have special little super powered babies that are annoying auntie Wanda right now.) I hope you guys don't mind the slower pace on this one. Things'll speed up next chapter.

And also, more advertisement for my other story_ "Strange Overtones"._ And also a big time advertisement to anon goddess's _"Daughter of Destruction"_ (an epic story that needs more attention) and_ "Socially Awkward"_ (a really good one-shot that's based off of this story! Isn't that cool?).


	6. Chapter 6

**M o t i v a t i o n**

Chapter 6

* * *

Pietro had snuck downstairs when Laura fell asleep. He was sure that she was a light sleeper and would wake up any minute, so he hurried down to get something to eat. Wanda was sitting at the table, eating cereal.

"Wanda," he told his sister, "eating again?"

Wanda looked over her shoulder to stare at her brother. She swallowed a mouthful of cereal before speaking.

"I'm hungry, okay?"

Pietro held his hands up in mock surrender and went to the cupboard.

"Is she still here?"

Pietro looked over at his sister.

"Who?"

"Don't be difficult, _brother._"

He turned away and grabbed to glasses; one day they would have to snatch nice fancy ones. Pietro sighed.

"She should be sleeping right now."

"In your room?"

Pietro blinked and paused his movements, then continued gathering food.

"I didn't sleep with her, if that's what you're trying to ask," he said, his voice taking an edge. Magneto did the same thing; asked questions in a attempt to trap him into saying something he might regret. It was stupid, in his opinion. If they wanted to know something, then they should go for a direct approach. Especially if it's on a person who's well use to their methods.

"I have to make sure, Pietro," his sister replied, voice soft. He frowned, realizing that he might have hurt her feelings on that one. Good, maybe she'll stop asking questions like that.

"Am I really that bad of a person, Wanda," he asked, opening the fridge.

"That didn't come out right," she muttered to herself. And Pietro sighed, closing the fridge and going over to his sister. He kneeled by his sister and took her hands. Wanda's blue eyes met his and Pietro gave her a comforting smile.

"Look, I don't really know what's going on in your head," Pietro lied, "but there's nothing going on between me and her that you should worry about."

Pietro shrugged when Wanda gave him a skeptical look.

"It's really too soon to _have _anything going on between us," he added.

Wanda nodded and took her spoon, twirling the silver object in her bowl. Pietro stood up and went to the fridge and grabbed some of the containers from it. There was still some tzatiziki left and he was about to take some kofta before he remembered the event surrounding that particular dish. He instead grabbed some cake instead.

He picked up all the stuff and turned to Wanda. Wanda looked from his arms to him with a raised eyebrow.

"What? No drinks?"

"I have a small reserve upstairs," Pietro said with a grin. His sister looked away shaking her head.

**OoOoO**

Pietro tried not to flinch when Laura popped the cork for the wine. But her claws just came out like that (and so close to his face), he couldn't help it. He could see from the corner of his eye that Laura was trying to hold back a grin. His hand took hers as he decided to inspect her claws. He really didn't know how they could be so shiny. There was two of them instead of three, unlike her predecessor and they were very sharp.

"Do they hurt when they come out?"

Laura put the wine bottle on his counter (the neat freak in him made him panic a bit, and he made a note to get a coaster next time), and gave him her full attention.

"Every time," she answered.

She didn't move as Pietro carefully inspected her claws, lightly drawing his fingers up and down them.

"Cool," he whispered, and Laura smiled.

"How fast can you run," Laura asked, and Pietro caught the slight tremble as he drifted his fingers on the skin in between her claws.

"Dunno... I reached Mach 10 three times," he said as he turned her hand so he could look at her palm, "but Magneto said that it isn't safe to go that fast after my powers got stuck."

"Stuck?" She was staring at their hands now.

"Couldn't turn my powers off. That was the second time," he said, pulling away as Laura's claws sunk back in.

"And the third?"

Pietro smiled, "Worked perfectly. But I don't wanna get stuck like that again."

Laura looked at Pietro for a moment before lowering her gaze to her lap.

"Huh."

"I know."

Pietro reached over Laura to take the bottle of wine and cringed a bit at the ring stain on it. He handed one of the glasses to Laura and held the other in his free hand.

"It won't get us drunk," he said, shrugging as he poured the drink, "but it's good enough."

The clinked their glasses together and drank.

**OoOoO**

Pietro knew that Laura would have to go home sometime. But she was so relaxed here. He realized that she must have left the institute at a very early time and it was nearing afternoon now. They had been in his room this entire time.

Pietro sighed and stretched.

"It's almost afternoon," he pointed out.

Laura looked at the sun shining through the window.

"So it is."

"Aren't the guys at your little institute gonna freak or something?"

Laura shrugged, but climbed off the bed anyway. She stretched for a moment and Pietro's mouth went dry.

"I should go though," she said and slipped on her shoes.

"Do you want me to drop you off," he asked, trying to look nonchalant. Something told him that the act wasn't working.

"It's okay," she smiled at him, "I need the fresh air."

"Do you want me to walk with you or something," he asked, and mentally shook his head at him asking the question.

Laura looked like she was thinking about it but then she shook her head.

"It's okay."

The pair walked downstairs to the door. He could see the rest of his housemates sitting in the living room, trying not to look like they were eavesdropping.

"Again," Pietro said, ignoring them, "you can come over when ever you like."

"And again," she replied, looking up at him, "I'll hold you to that."

Pietro shook his head with a slight grin.

"Sure you will."

* * *

**A/N:** Ack, this chapter. I was writing this one while watching TV and thinking of ways I could get money for school supplies this year (unemployed, y'all). So if it's not that great.... my apologies. I've got to do registration soon. Wish me luck; I'm hoping they didn't screw up my schedule.

Okay, so I was watching the very ep of XME where Wanda gets her memory wiped. Dude... I love that ep so much. That Toad-Kurt fight is sooo awesome. I love that ep so much. Lol, that's all. Next chap is going to have to be in Wanda's pov... 'cause I just had the best inspiration for the Jonda (finally!). Is that cool with you guys?


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